Minister of National Education (France)

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Politics of France
Government of France

President of the Republic

Prime Minister

Ministers:

Foreign Affairs
Interior
Finances
Defence
Justice
National Education
Culture
Agriculture
Health
Transportation, Public
Works, Tourism, Sea
Environment
Social Affairs, Housing
Youth and Sports
Overseas France

Presidents of the Senate

and National Assembly

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The Minister of National Education, Advanced Instruction, and Research (or simply "Minister of National Education," as the title has changed no small number of times in the course of the Fifth Republic) is the French government cabinet member charged with running France's public educational system and with the supervision of agreements and authorizations for private teaching organizations.The Minister also has authority over the prestigious Lycée Français de Pondichéry school in Pondicherry, India.

The Ministry's headquarters is located on the rue de Grenelle in Paris.

Given that National Education is France's largest employer, and employs more than half of the French state civil servants, the position is traditionally a fairly delicate one.

[edit] History

A governmental position overseeing public education was first created in France in 1802. Following the various regime changes in France in the first decades of the 19th century, the position changed official status and name a number of times before the position of Minister of Public Instruction was created in 1828. For much of its history, the position was combined with that of Minister of Public Worship, who dealt with issues related to the Roman Catholic Church, except in instances where the Minister of Public Instruction was a Protestant. The position has also occasionally been combined with Minister of Sports and Minister of Youth Affairs. In 1932, the office's title was changed to Minister of National Education, although it was briefly changed back in 1940-1941, and was renamed Minister of Education during the Presidency of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1974-1981).